Latest southern Colorado news, weather and sports from FOX21 News

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, COLO. -- They're back! The Thunderbirds will fill the skies with activity the next few days as they prepare for graduation at the Air Force Academy.

"We're really excited to support the class of 2012 and wish them all the best," Maj. Caroline Jensen, Thunderbird #3 and right wing, said.

The team arrived Monday and will practice Tuesday before performing at graduation Wednesday.

"We don't do any of our acro-maneuvering or anything, we just fly around the area and look for where obstacles are, check out the terrain, and plan a couple of the first passes," Jensen said.

Known for being the best in the world, each air craft is flown by an extremely experienced pilot.

"The main thing is that you need to have 750 fighter-type hours. All the pilots on the team are combat experienced aviators, and we really represent the nearly 700,000 men and women who serve in the Air Force," Jensen said.

Jensen has 16 years of flying experience and joined the Thunderbirds about seven months ago. She is the only woman on the team and only the third woman ever to fly in the demonstrations.

"My whole career I haven't felt like a female fighter pilot, more just a fighter pilot. So there's a lot of women who went ahead of me and kind of paved the way that I could just feel like a pilot like everybody else," she said.

For Jensen this trip has a special meaning. She is a 1998 graduate of the Air Force Academy and said it felt good to be back.

"I'm really happy that I get to help them kick off their Air Force career the way the Thunderbirds did for me back in 1998," Jensen said.

Monday the team took a break from practice to welcome a special guest: Broncos head coach John Fox.

"They say it's the ride of a lifetime, so we're gonna get to check it out," Fox said.

Fox was scheduled to go for a ride in the backseat of one of the planes, but a mechanical issue with the environmental control system canceled those plans.

"We had our maintainers work it the best they very could, but we were just unable to get the jet working correctly for the flight today," Capt. Mike Fisher, Thunderbird #8 and Advance Pilot Narrator, said.

Fisher was supposed to the one who took Fox for a ride.

"I was really looking forward to taking him out today and showing him what the F-16 can do and let the team showcase what we we do and what we represent," Fisher said.

Fox took the disappointing news in stride.

"I think the fact that it broke before I took off is better than if it broke afterwards, so that's the fortunate part, and maybe another time," Fox said.

The team offered to reschedule Fox's flight for Tuesday but he said he had a football practice he couldn't miss. He said he does plan to take them up on their offer though at some point.

"Just coming down on base was really a lot of fun, and meeting a lot of great people and you know we'll do the joy ride some other time," Fox said.

"Anytime that we can work it in we'd be more than happy to fly him," Fisher said.